ADS-B is a technology that is being developed and deployed around the world to enhance aviation safety by allowing aircraft to make accurate and timely reports of their position, velocity, identification, capability, and intentions. The current ADS-B message protocol lacks any identity authentication scheme and ADS-B data is currently broadcast without encryption or other security measures. In addition, the current direction in air traffic control is to rely on the ADS-B message data for the control and management of air traffic. This leaves the current ATC system vulnerable to broadcast of false identification data.
What is needed is a method of authenticating an aircraft's identity, thereby making it more difficult for unauthorized third parties to enter a given air traffic control region by broadcasting false identification data for an aircraft, without adversely affecting the data throughput of the air traffic control system.
This invention addresses these problems by employing cryptographic techniques as part of an authentication scheme to enhance the security of the ADS-B system.